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I am Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I am also the editor of the academic journal The Latin Americanist.

Friday, September 02, 2011

I recommend this analysis by Pancho Díaz and Robert Funk on the broader implications of the student protests in Chile. The essence is that Chilean democracy is not under attack, but given stifling institutional constraints there is growing pressure for plebiscitary democracy rather than representative democracy. Indeed, much of the U.S. media ignores the fact that the students have been calling for a plebiscite, but its details--or even its usefulness--are a very hot topic. What they argue in the article is that politicians, especially younger ones, need to demonstrate that they deserve to lead.

I have pointed to similarities between the U.S. and Chile with regard to disgust with parties and the legislature, yet it is notable that in the U.S. the plebiscitary pressures are at the state level, not the national. The Tea Party dislikes Congress, yet still wants to work through Congress.